Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons Try To Get Back On Track Thursday At Clemson
2/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 9, 2004
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Game #20
#20/18 Wake Forest (13-6/4-5) at Clemson Tigers (9-11/2-7)
Thursday, Feb. 12 / 7:00 p.m. / Littlejohn Coliseum (10,980) / Clemson, / n ESPN2
Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m.
Television: ESPN2. Dave O'Brien (play-by-play, Brad Daugherty and Bucky Waters call the action.
Radio: Deacon Radio Network (ISP). Stan Cotten (play-by-play) and Mark Freidinger (color analysis) call the action.
Records: Wake Forest is 13-6 overall and 4-5 in the ACC after a home loss Saturday to #17 North Carolina. Clemson is 9-11 and 2-7 following an 81-55 loss at #1 Duke Sunday night.
Rankings: Wake Forest is ranked 20th in the Associated Press poll and 18th in the ESPN/USA Today poll last week. Clemson is not ranked.
Coaches: Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser (U.S. Merchant Marine Academy '72) is 59-25 in three seasons with the Deacons, 224-103 in 11 seasons overall. Clemson coach Oliver Purnell (Old Dominion '75) is 9-11 in his first season with the Tigers, 265-202 in 16 seasons overall.
SID Contacts: Wake Forest assistant athletic director/media relations Dean Buchan; Clemson assistant athletic director Tim Bourret.
Websites: Wake Forest -- WakeForestSports.com; Clemson -- ClemsonTigers.com. The Series: Wake Forest leads, 91-50.
Officials: Announced on game day.
On Deck: Wake Forest will play host to nationally-ranked Cincinnati Sunday afternoon at 1:30. Clemson plays at Florida State on Saturday.
Deacons Travel To Clemson Thursday
Wake Forest, hungry to get back to the success it enjoyed early in the season, travels to improving Clemson Thursday night (7:00 p.m./ESPN2).
The Demon Deacons, 13-6 overall and 4-5 in the ACC, began the season with 11 straight wins but have lost six out of their last eight games. Wake Forest fell at home Saturday, 79-73, to 17th-ranked North Carolina.
Justin Gray, who has averaged 20.5 points over the last four games, has been a bright spot for the Deacs.
The Tigers, 9-11 and 2-7, have lost five out of their last six including an 81-55 loss at No. 1 Duke Sunday night. At home this season, Clemson has knocked off North Carolina, Florida State and Boston College.
Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 91-50, and the Deacons have won 10 out of the last 11 meetings. Wake beat Clemson, 78-63, Jan. 10 in Winston-Salem.
Noteworthy
- Depending on the outcome of other games, Wake Forest could find itself as high as tied for third in the ACC standings or as low as seventh place depending on the outcome of Thursday's game. Through Monday, there is a pack of five ACC teams with four league victories.
- Wake Forest has won 10 out of the last 11 meetings with Clemson including four wins in its last five trips to Littlejohn Coliseum.
- The Deacons beat Clemson 78-63 Jan. 10 despite going 2-of-13 from three-point range. Freshman Chris Paul scored 21 points and sophomore Eric Williams added 17 points to lead Wake.
- Wake Forest will try to avoid losing seven games in a nine-game stretch for the first time since the 1999-00 season.
More From Saturday's Loss To UNC
Wake Forest trimmed a 12-point deficit down to two points (70-68) with 2:37 remaining, but Raymond Felton's first three-point field goal with :53 remaining lifted No. 17 North Carolina to a 79-73 win at Lawrence Joel Coliseum Saturday. More from that game:
- Wake Forest shot a higher field goal percentage than North Carolina and committed less turnovers, yet the Deacons never led in the game.
- Junior Jamaal Levy scored a career-high 19 points and recorded his second straight double-double.
- Sophomore Justin Gray also scored 19 points and he connected on four three-point field goals.
- Freshman Chris Paul recorded his 100th assist and his 60th steal of the season.
- Wake Forest tied a season-low with four steals.
The First Meeting: Wake 78, Clemson 63
Freshman Chris Paul scored a career-high 21 points and Eric Williams added 17 to help the fifth-ranked Demon Deacons overcome a poor shooting night for a 78-63 victory over Clemson Jan. 10 in Winston-Salem.
The Deacons shot just 40 percent from the field and were just 2-of-13 on 3-pointers, yet still managed their 24th consecutive home victory.
"We practice shooting," coach Skip Prosser deadpanned. "We just didn't shoot the ball well."
Wake Forest eventually went inside to pull away for the win by getting 12 points from Jamaal Levy and 10 from Trent Strickland. The two got plenty of touches and extended playing time when the Deacons had to abandon their three-guard set because of poor shooting.
"It's not like Halloween - everyone who wears a suit gets candy," Prosser said about splitting up the three starting guards. "You have to earn it. It is not written in stone that we are going to play three little guys."
Vernon Hamilton led Clemson, while Chey Christie scored 16 and Sharrod Ford had 10.
Deacs Have Overcome February Slumps
While Wake Forest tries to avoid losing three straight games to begin February for the first time since 1973, the Deacons can look at their history for a reason to be optimistic.
Even last season, when the Deacons won the ACC regular season championship, Wake Forest went through a mild February slump by losing two of three games by a combined 30 points. Wake responded by winning their final six regular season games and winning the ACC regular season crown outright for the first time since 1962.
In 1993, Wake Forest lost four of six late-season games, but regrouped to advance to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen.
In 1984, the Deacons lost three of their final five regular season games, but gathered momentum in March to advance all the way to the NCAA regional championship game.
Back in 1977, the Deacons lost four straight late-season games but battled back to come within one game of advancing to the Final Four.
Deacons Hang Around Top 25
Wake Forest fell four spots in the Associated Press poll to 20th and three spots to 18th in the ESPN/ USA Today poll this week. More on Wake in the polls:
- The Deacons, ranked as high as 4th this season, are back to where they started. Wake was ranked 20th in the AP preseason poll.
- Four other ACC teams are in the AP poll -- (1) Duke, (14) North Carolina, (15) Georgia Tech and (21) NC State.
- The Deacons have been ranked in the AP poll for 27 consecutive weeks dating back to last season. Duke is the only ACC team with a longer current streak.
- Wake has been ranked in the AP poll 41 times in 48 weeks under Skip Prosser.
- Wake is ranked 19th by Blue Ribbon Yearbook, 16th in the Sagarin Ratings and 26th at CollegeRPI.com.
Chris Paul On Wooden Midseason List
Deacon freshman Chris Paul is one of 30 midseason candidates for the John R. Wooden Award and Wooden All-America Team announced Jan. 26.
Paul is averaging 12.3 points, 5.5 assists and 3.2 steals per game. He leads the ACC and ranks third nationally in steals. Paul ranks fourth in the ACC in assists and second in assist-turnover ratio.
Paul is one of just two freshmen on the Wooden list, joining Minnesota's Kris Humphries. He is one of five ACC players on the list, joining Duke's Chris Duhon, Georgia Tech's B.J. Elder, NC State's Julius Hodge and UNC's Sean May.
Owning The Boards Thursday Will Be Key
Rebounding is one part of the game that has hurt Wake Forest during its recent slump, and now the Deacons will face the ACC's best-rebounding team, Clemson, Thursday night.
Clemson leads the ACC in rebound margin (+5.0) while Wake Forest ranks sixth (+2.0). Last year Wake Forest led the nation in rebound margin (+9.7).
In Wake's six recent losses, the Deacons were out-rebounded four times. In Skip Prosser's three seasons with the Deacons, Wake is just 7-12 when getting out-rebounded. When his Deacons get more rebounds than their opponents, Wake is 49-11 under Prosser.
Prosser Looks For 60th Win In 3 Seasons
Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser is one win away from his 60th victory in three seasons with the Deacons. His ACC coaching start is one of the best in league history:
- His winning percentage in ACC league games (.634/26-15) is the third-highest ever by a coach in his first three seasons in the conference. Only Vic Bubas and Bill Guthridge had higher winning percentages (.667) in their first three years in the league.
- Prosser's overall winning percentage at Wake Forest (.702/59-25) gives him the sixth-highest percentage in the 51-year history of the ACC. Only Dean Smith (.776), Mike Krzyzewski (.776), Bubas (.761), Guthridge (.741) and Frank McGuire (.710) have/had higher winning percentages than Prosser.
- His career winning percentage (.685/224-103) is the 16th-highest nationally among all active Division I coaches.
- Wake already has two 100-point games this season. In Prosser's three years with the Deacons, Wake has scored 100-plus points six times. Before his arrival, the Deacons reached 100 points just five times in the previous 13 years.
Deacon-Tiger Series History
- Wake Forest leads the all-time series, 91-50.
- The Demon Deacons have won 10 out of the last 11 meetings, including a 78-63 win over the Tigers Jan. 10 in Winston-Salem.
- Clemson leads the series in Littlejohn Coliseum, 19-16. The Tigers hold a 33-32 edge all-time when playing in Clemson.
- Wake has won 14 straight against the Tigers in Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
- The two teams have not met in the ACC Tournament since 1998.
- The Wake Forest-Clemson series traces back to the first meeting in 1925-26.
- Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser is 4-2 all-time against Clemson, including a 4-1 record while at Wake Forest. His 1999 Xavier team lost to Clemson in the NIT national semifinals.
- Clemson's Oliver Purnell is 0-1 all-time versus Wake Forest.
- Prosser's Xavier teams went 7-6 versus Purnell's Dayton teams when both were coaching in the Atlantic Ten.
Wake Forest-Clemson Connections
- Clemson has three North Carolinians on its roster -- Shawan Robinson (Raleigh), Chris Hobbs (Chapel Hill) and Ovarus Williams (Snow Hill).
- Clemson's Sharrod Ford and Wake's Trent Strickland both played previously at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia.
- Deacon freshman Chris Paul's brother, C.J., plays basketball in South Carolina at USC-Spartanburg.
- Five foreign players are on the combined rosters of Wake and Clemson -- Wake Forest's Vytas Danelius (Lithuania) and Jamaal Levy (Panama) and Clemson's Akin Akingbala (Nigeria), Olu Babalola (England), and Julian Betko (Slovakia).
- Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser and Clemson coach Oliver Purnell both came to the ACC from the Atlantic Ten. Prosser served at Xavier and Purnell at Dayton.
- Tiger assistant coach Ron Bradley was 0-3 against Wake Forest as the head coach at Radford from 1992-2002.
Wake Approaching Victory Milestones
Wake Forest needs the following number of wins to reach various milestones:
Wins Needed Would Give Wake Forest... 1 Average of 20 wins over the last 3 years. 1 Coach Skip Prosser's 225th career win. 2 Its 14th consecutive winning season. 2 Average of 20 wins over the last 2 years. 2 80 victories over the last four seasons combined. 4 Its 1,300th all-time victory.
1,300 In Sight
With 1,296 all-time victories, Wake Forest is four wins shy of reaching the 1,300-win milestone. The Deacons are 1,296-996 all-time.
Wake One Of Nation's Youngest Teams
With no scholarship seniors on the roster, Wake Forest is one of college basketball's youngest teams. In fact, the Deacons are one of just six Division I schools with no scholarship seniors on the roster.
Walk-on Alan Williams is the only senior on the Deacon roster.
Wake Forest has just three juniors on the roster to go with five sophomores and four freshmen.
Gray Emerging As A Star In The ACC
On a very balanced team, sophomore guard Justin Gray is emerging as one of the top players in the ACC:
- Over his last four games, Gray scored 82 points and made 14 three-point field goals.
- With 55 three-point field goals in 19 games this season, Gray ranks third in the ACC for three-pointers per game (2.89).
- He leads the team and ranks seventh in the ACC in scoring (15.1 ppg.). - Gray ranks among the ACC leaders in six categories -- free throw percentage (2nd), three-point field goals (3rd), scoring (9th), 3-point percentage (7th), assists (12th) and steals (13th).
- He averages 17.7 points per game in road contests.
- Gray has made at least one three-point field goal in 30 out of his last 31 games.
- He is shooting 86.0 percent from the free throw line, which ranks second in the ACC and would be the 10th-highest single season percentage in Wake Forest history.
- Even though he missed 10 games last season because of a broken jaw, he has already amassed 578 career points.
- With 90 career three-point field goals, the sophomore needs just 10 three-pointers to become the 12th player in Wake Forest history to make 100.
- Gray made a career-high eight three-point field goals Jan. 13 at Texas en route to a career-best 27 points. His eight three-pointers were the most in the ACC this season and tie for the 11th-most in ACC history.
- His 18 three-point attempts at Texas broke a Wake Forest single-game record and tie for the third-most in ACC history.
Most Three-Point Field Goals/Wake Forest History 11, Craig Dawson Feb. 13, 2002 at Clemson (2ot) 9, Randolph Childress March 12, 1995 vs. N. Carolina (ot) 8, Justin Gray Jan. 13, 2004 at Texas 8, two other times
Most Three-Point Field Attempts/ACC History 22, Walt Williams (MD) Feb. 22, 1992 at Clemson 19, Dennis Scott (GT) Dec. 28, 1988 vs. Houston 18, Justin Gray (WF) Jan. 13, 2004 at Texas 18, two other times
Levy: One Of The ACC's Most Underrated
At 6-9 and just 180 pounds, Jamaal Levy is a good example of one of Skip Prosser's favorite sayings: "It's not how big you are, it's how big you play."
Levy uses his thin frame and quickness to his advantage as one of the ACC's best rebounders:
- In ACC games only, Levy ranks third in the league in rebounds per game (8.8) and he is second in the ACC in offensive rebounds per game (3.89).
- Levy leads the team and ranks third in the ACC (all games) in rebounding (8.2 rpg.). - He ranks third in the ACC in offensive rebounds per game (3.26) and fourth in defensive rebounds (4.89).
- Levy is shooting 56.2 percent from the field.
- He leads the team and ranks 12th in the ACC in blocked shots (1.00).
- Levy leads the team in double-doubles (4).
- Recently, Levy has turned his game up a notch. He has two straight double-doubles and has scored in double figures in three straight games.
Thinner "Big E" Leads ACC In FG%
Sophomore center Eric Williams weighs about the same as he did last year (275 pounds), but he has gotten stronger and lowered his body fat. The Wake Forest (NC) native has also re-shaped his game.
Last season as a freshman, "Big E" battled more than just a weight problem. He was foul-prone and inconsistent. This year he is establishing himself as one of the top players in the ACC. More:
- Williams has improved his scoring average from 8.7 ppg. last season to 13.1 ppg. this season. He ranks 14th in the ACC in scoring.
- He ranks first in the ACC in field goal percentage (.542).
- Williams ranks among the ACC leaders in three other statistical categories -- offensive rebounds (6th), rebound average (12th) and free throw percentage (13th).
- Williams has started all 50 games of his career.
- He was named ACC Player of the Week Dec. 22.
- He was instrumental in Wake's triple-overtime win at 4th-ranked North Carolina. He hit what proved to be the game-winner in the third overtime and scored 24 points against the Tar Heels.
Downey: Solid As A Starter Or As Reserve
Junior guard Taron Downey, has proven to be productive as a starter (54 career starts) or as Wake's sixth man.
- After an early January slump, Downey has scored in double figures in five of the last seven games.
- He has played more than 30 minutes in each of the last four games.
- Downey's career free throw percentage (.847) is the fourth-highest in Wake Forest history. His free throw percentage this season (.870) would be the sixth-best in Wake history.
- He is the 11th player in Wake Forest history to make 100 career three-point field goals (he has 107).
- With 252 career assists, Downey will soon become the eighth player at Wake to record 300 career assists.
- He has scored 660 career points.
- This season, he ranks sixth in the ACC in assist-turnover ratio, 11th in assists and 12th in three-point field goals per game.
"Mayor" One Of The Nation's Top Rookies
Chris Paul has proven to be one of the nation's top freshmen and a candidate for ACC Rookie of the Year honors:
- He is one of just two freshmen -- joining Minnesota's Kris Humphries -- on the midseason list of 30 candidates for the John R. Wooden Award.
- Paul has been named ACC Rookie of the Week four times.
- He ranks third in the nation in steals per game (3.22).
- He leads all ACC freshmen and ranks fourth in the ACC in assists per game (5.39). - Paul ranks second in the ACC in assist-turnover ratio (2.54).
- Paul has 104 assists and just 41 turnovers in a team-high 627 minutes of action.That equates to just one turnover every 15.3 minutes.
- With 60 steals, he has already shattered the Wake Forest freshman record of 53 held by Rodney Rogers.
- His six steals at SMU Dec. 15 tied a Wake Forest freshman record held by Rogers.
- He is attempting to be the first freshman to lead the ACC in steals since NC State's Chris Corchiani in 1988.
- He is attempting to become the first Deacon player, regardless of class, to lead the ACC in steals since Tyrone Bogues did it three straight years from 1985-87.
- With 104 assists, only one freshman in Wake Forest history -- Derrick McQueen (147) -- had more assists.
- His free throw percentage (.810) is the second-highest ever by a Deacon freshman, ranks fourth overall in the ACC and he goes to the line more than any Deacon.
- He has started every game and leads the team in minutes played (33.0 mpg.).
- The shortest player on the roster, Paul (6-0) has nine blocked shots.
- Paul (12.3 points per game) ranks second among ACC freshmen in scoring.
NCAA Steals Leaders Marques Green St. Bonaventure 3.8 Jameer Nelson St. Joseph's 3.4 Chris Paul Wake Forest 3.2 Chakowby Hicks Norfolk State 3.2 Three tied with 3.1 Through Feb. 6
Most Steals By A Deacon Freshman/Game 6, Chris Paul Dec. 15, 2002 at SMU 6, Rodney Rogers Feb. 24, 1991 vs. Clemson 5, Chris Paul Jan. 3, 2004 vs. New Mexico 5, Chris Paul Dec. 20, 2003 at North Carolina 5, Chris Paul Dec. 6, 2003 vs. Richmond 5, Chris Paul Dec. 2, 2003 vs. Indiana 5, Seven other times
Most Steals By A Deacon Freshman/Season 60 Chris Paul 2003-04 53 Rodney Rogers 1990-91 47 Fran McCaffery 1977-78
Most Assists By A Wake Forest Freshman/Game 10, Derrick McQueen Dec. 28, 1988 vs. New Mexico 9, Chris Paul Dec. 15, 2002 at SMU 9, Randolph Childress Feb. 4, 1991 vs. William & Mary 9, Derrick McQueen Jan. 2, 1989 vs. UNCW 8, Chris Paul Dec. 20 at North Carolina 8, Chris Paul Dec. 6, 2003 vs. Richmond 8, Chris Paul Dec. 2, 2003 vs. Indiana 8, Two other times
Most Assists By A Deacon Freshman/Season 147 Derrick McQueen 1998-99 104 Chris Paul 2003-04 80 Justin Gray 2002-03
Strickland Brings Energy Off The Bench
Sophomore Trent Strickland spent his freshman season as a back-up to All-American Josh Howard. Now, he's bringing Howard-like skills off the bench as Wake Forest's sixth-man and part-time starter.
Strickland averages 7.8 points per game and he has developed into a perimeter threat (12 three-point field goals). His rise in offensive production can be credited to the 500-plus jumpers he takes alone, almost every night, in Wake's practice facility. On defense, Strickland is one of Wake's top players.
After waiting a year and a half for his first career start, Strickland was thrown into the fire. His first three starts came against nationally-ranked teams (Texas, Duke and Georgia Tech) in front of national TV audiences.
Magic Number: 82
Wake Forest is undefeated when it scores at least 82 points -- or 1.4 points less than what the Deacons are averaging this season (83.4 ppg.).
The Deacons are also undefeated (7-0) when they shoot 50 percent or better from the field.
The Great A-Viss
Wake Forest freshman center Kyle Visser is looking more and more like one of the real steals of his recruiting class.
The Deacon coaching staff felt like Visser, who is fundamentally sound and runs the court well, had plenty of potential, but they didn't expect Visser to blossom so early. Visser played sparingly until forced into action Dec. 20 in Wake's triple-overtime win over North Carolina. He responded with a career-high 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Visser produced those numbers one game after not getting off the bench against SMU Dec. 15.
The Grand Rapids (MI) native has scored in double figures in three of the last five games. He is shooting 56.7 from the floor and he has more blocked shots (12) than turnovers (10). If you project his numbers to 40 minutes per game, he would average more than 17 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks per contest.
Deacons Are Balanced Bunch
The Deacons are sharing the spotlight this season:
- Five different Deacons average at least 10.2 points per game and eight players are contributing at least 5.3 points per contest.
- Eight different players have scored in double figures at least twice and five different Deacs have scored 20 or more points in a game.
- Eleven different Deacons have made at least one three-point field goal.
- Eight different Wake Forest players are averaging at least 12 minutes per game.
Better With Time
Wake Forest has improved its winning percentage each of the last five decades. In the 1960s, the Deacons won just 50.7 percent of their games. That percentage increased to .535 in the 1970s, .537 in the 1980s, up to .666 in the 1990s and is at .684 this decade.
In the 1980s Wake won just 34.3 percent of its ACC games, compared to 56.9 percent in the 1990s and 59.6 percent this decade.
Deacons Hope Injury Bug Is Behind Them
Wake Forest head trainer, assistant athletic director Greg Collins, has been one of the most active people on the Deacon staff this season as Wake has suffered more than its share of injuries.
Four different Deacons have missed a combined 14 games. Junior Vytas Danelius (high ankle sprain) missed five straight games before returning to action Jan. 13 at Texas. Sophomore Chris Ellis is back in the fold after breaking a bone in his foot on the first day of practice. Freshmen Kyle Visser and Todd Hendley missed one game each.
Home Court Streak Ends At 24
Wake Forest's home loss to Georgia Tech Jan. 20 ended a 24-game home court win streak and marked the Deacons' first loss at Joel Coliseum since Feb. 21, 2002, against Duke. The 24-game streak fell one short of tying the school record for consecutive home court wins.
Atlanta Will Carry Deac Radio Broadcasts
The Zone (790 AM) in Atlanta will be airing the following schedule of Wake Forest basketball games: Feb. 12 -- Wake Forest at Clemson Feb. 15 -- Wake Forest vs. Cincinnati Feb. 18 -- Wake Forest vs. Duke March 2 -- Wake Forest at Virginia
Wake Signs One In Early Signing Period
Cameron Stanley, a 6-7 senior at Raleigh Millbrook High School, signed a letter-of-intent to play basketball at Wake Forest, Demon Deacon head coach Skip Prosser confirmed November 19.
Stanley averaged 21.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game as a junior in 2002-03 while leading Millbrook to a 26-5 record.
He was a finalist for North Carolina's Mr. Basketball, he earned a spot on the all-conference team and he emerged as one of the nation's top prospects at the ABCD camp in Teaneck, N.J.. Stanley was also invited to USA Basketball's Youth Development Festival in Colorado Springs, Colo.
As a sophomore, Stanley averaged 19.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
The current Wake Forest roster includes no scholarship seniors. Assuming the roster remains intact, Stanley will be one of nine North Carolina natives on the 2004-05 Deacon roster.
Wake Forest Retires Howard's Jersey
Wake Forest retired the jersey of former consensus All-American Josh Howard during a ceremony at halftime of Wake's Jan. 29 game against Maryland.
